Former Guilford County Commissioner Kirk Perkins, who filed earlier this month to run for the District 4 county commissioners seat, has pulled out of the race.

Perkins couldn’t be reached immediately for comment on Tuesday evening, Dec. 17, but his name had been removed from the list of candidates filing, and Commissioner Alan Branson, who currently holds that District 4 seat, said he was made aware that Perkins was no longer in the race.

In the past six years, Perkins has run twice to regain a seat on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners after losing the District 4 seat to Branson in 2012. Perkins ran once as an at-large candidate.

Branson said he wasn’t certain what got Perkins to pull out of the race but he said it may be because another Democrat had filed to run for the seat. After Perkins filed to run, Sedalia resident Mary Murphy, a Democrat, filed in the District 4 race.

According to Guilford County Board of Elections Director Charlie Collicutt, Dec. 17 was the last day for candidates who have filed to get their filing fee back if they pull out. In the case of the District 4 race, that fee is $207.